Tuesday, February 25, 2014

VMAQ-3 ”Moondogs”

As part of the redeployment from Afghanistan, the U.S. Marine Corps is shifting Electronic Attack (EA) assets from Bagram to Qatar, where VMAQ-3 ”Moondogs” has deployed to last week.

In
recent years Prowler detachments were regularly operating from Bagram
in Afghanistan, tasked primarily in providing electronic support for
ground operations, assisting ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with
counter IED jamming, signals intelligence and selective jamming. Photo:
US Air Force Capt. Raymond Geoffroy

In recent years Prowler
detachments were regularly operating from Bagram in Afghanistan, tasked
primarily in providing electronic support for ground operations,
assisting ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with counter IED
jamming, signals intelligence and selective jamming. Supporting
traditional marine corps missions, such as amphibious operations, and
other high intensity warfare operations require different techniques,
tactics and procedures the units currently deployed to Japan can
practice. Such activities are regularly performed in exercises they
deploy to in Korea, Japan and other parts of the Pacific theatre.

The Prowlers who were previously deployed to Afghanistan have been moved to Al Udeid and are currently being supported by more than 200 Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.

The EA-6BProwler is a four-seat, twin-engine tactical electronic attack
aircraft capable of attacking and jamming enemy radio, communications
and radar operations. In service for 37 years the Grumman EA-6B
Prowler is one of the Marine Corps’ oldest combat aircraft serving
today, yet it carries out one of the most challenging and sophisticated
missions – electronic attack. “Electronic warfare is always changing by its nature,” Whitten said.

The
Prowlers who were previously deployed to Afghanistan have been moved to
AUAB and are currently being supported by more than 200 Marines from
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo by
Senior Airman Jared Trimarchi)

“The
airframe was capable of being updated over the years and that’s why it
was able to stay around for so long. Thirty-five years later, they’re
still doing another evolution to keep up with the threat.” said Retired
Col. Wayne Whitten who flew as a crew member with the first Prowlers.

Prowlers have been supporting ground troops during Operation Enduring Freedom for more than 10 years. Photo: USMC

The
aircraft was designed to suppress enemy air defense so Marine aircraft
could traverse hostile airspace in relative safety. However, in the past
10 years, the Prowler has flown almost exclusively in support of ground
forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Whitten said it is unique for an
aircraft to fulfil completely different roles as the Prowler has.
The
Prowler may be the last Marine aircraft dedicated solely to electronic
warfare. The Marine Corps still plans to cycle the Prowler out of
service for the stealthy F-35B, which will perform some electronic
warfare roles using its powerful radar’s Active Electronic Scanned Array
as a directional jammer.

“There is a huge shift in
the mindset, going away from kinetic fires and dropping bombs… Sometimes
the targets are easier to attack electronically than they are
kinetically.” Maj. Bart Macmanus, VMAQ-4 XO

The F-35B
will not replace each of the specific function the Prowler has today,
it will provide the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Electronic
Warfare with the same capabilities the Prowler has today as a dedicated
EA platform. The US Navy is maintaining the dedicated EA role with the
EA-18G Growler, which is also geared to fire guided missiles against
radars and other targets that can be identified by their electronic
signature.uses
One of the new rotations announced this week is the
deployment of Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 (VMAQ-3)
“Moondogs” at Al Udeid Air Base (AUAB), Qatar.
The squadron arrived here with its EA-6Bs, on February 17, 2014, to
support the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The Prowlers
were previously deployed to Afghanistan have been moved to AUAB and are
currently being supported by more than 200 Marines from Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
Though the Prowlers will
continue to fly missions to Afghanistan, their main mission is to be
ready to support any contingencies or operations which may need electronic attack in the Central Command (CENTCOM) Area Of Responsibility (AOR). ”We are excited to be back at Al Udeid
Air Base and look forward to providing electronic attack for U.S. and
coalition forces in the area,” said Marine Capt. Keith Hibbert, a
Moondog pilot who hails from Ithaca, N.Y. “Prowlers have been supporting
ground troops during Operation Enduring Freedom for more than 10 years,
and we look forward to continuing that support.”

An
EA-6B Prowler aircraft sits ready to conduct training missions at Osan
Air Base, Republic of Korea. Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron
4 is supporting these deployments out its base at Marine Corps Air
Station Iwakuni, Japan. Photo: USMC by Sgt. Charles McKelvey

Another Marine Corps electronic attack squadron, VMAQ-4 “Seahawks” has deployed to Marine Corps Air Station, (MCAS) Iwakuni,
Japan in November, replacing VMAQ-2 “Death Jesters” that were deployed
here since August. The squadron was returning to the Pacific Area of
Operation after six year of absence, when all electronic attack were
directed at the ongoing conflicts in Southwest Asia and the Middle East.
VMAQ-1 is based in the SUA and is responsible for operational training
of air crews and personnel for the EA-6B fleet.
”There is a
generation who has done nothing but (Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom) and they never got the chance to do UDP
[Unit Deployment Plan]” said Maj. Bart Macmanus, VMAQ-4 executive
officer. “We are trying to do a lot of training,” said Macmanus. “This
is the first time Prowlers have been out here in a while, so we are
trying to reeducate people, mainly on the capabilities that we bring to
the fight.”

”There is a generation who has done
nothing but OIF and OEF… With the vacuum that’s been here since the
Prowlers have been gone, there’s a lot of resident knowledge that has
been lost” Maj. Bart Macmanus, VMAQ-4 XO

Although now
fully employed, the unit’s mission in OEF and OIF varied from what the
Marine Corps now expects of its electronic experts. “Being back out here
is a totally different mindset and it’s good to get us back out here,”
said Macmanus. “It is more dynamic out here and it requires a lot more
work to understand your mission set.” Macmanus also said one of the
unique opportunities of this UDP is the ability to work with other
military branches, such as the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Osan Air
Base, Republic of Korea.
“With the vacuum that’s been here since
the Prowlers have been gone, there’s a lot of resident knowledge that
has been lost,” said Macmanus. “So, we’re just trying to reeducate the
masses on what are our capabilities and what we bring out here, not just
with the Air Force, but the Marines as well.” Last year the squadron
deployed to Iwakuni’s
for a short introductory exercise with Marine Corps Hornets and
Harriers, plus joint operations with U.S. Air Force and Naval units.
On
their current deployment the Seahawks focus again on training. While
it’s not putting rounds down range, their presence in the combat arena
is certainly felt. “There is a huge shift in the mindset, going away
from kinetic fires and dropping bombs,” Macmanus said. “Sometimes the
targets are easier to attack electronically than they are kinetically.”
While
absent in the Pacific, the Prowler’s reputation became comparable to an
old novel with a bookmark. The Seahawks now re-open that book and
prepare to write new chapters, almost 45 years in the making.

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About Me

Over 20 years of continuous R&D "GIZMO'S & GADGETS DEVELOPMENT" including project engineering, design, research & prototyping development in all facets of technology especially communication systems. Published Author as well.
Also known as "Q".....The Gadget Man